The art in haiga lies not so much in having a comely image to accompany a haiku, but in the amplification of meaning that text and image bring to each other when juxtaposed. In other words, as in renku it is the link that is important.

For this reason, it's always been important to us at Haigaonline to encourage collaboration. There are almost as many ways that two people can work together as there are artists and works of art, but always, the marriage of different poetic and artistic sensibilities results in a distinctive synergy of richness and depth. Sometimes the haiku comes first, sometimes the image. Sometimes the process is reciprocal, in which case the nature of the collaboration may differ depending on whether the partners are internet colleagues, friends, or family. And in some cases it may be an 'old master setting. Not a true 'collaboration', perhaps, but we include this kind of haiga here because it too depends for its juxtaposition on the call and response of different artistic/poetic voices.